Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

An information processing apparatus (100) includes an acquisition unit (122) that acquires a first image from which person region feature information regarding a region including other than a face of a retrieval target person is extracted, a second image in which a collation result with the person region feature information indicates a match, and a facial region is detected, and result information indicating a collation result between face information stored in a storage unit and face information extracted from the facial region, and a display processing unit (130) that displays at least two of the first image, the second image, and the result information on an identical screen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/611,121 filed on Nov. 5, 2019, which is aNational Stage Entry of international application PCT/JP2018/048090,filed on Dec. 27, 2018, the disclosures of all of which are incorporatedin their entirety by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, aninformation processing method, and a program, capable of performing animage recognition process.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, a technique of detecting a person matching a desiredcondition by using an image has been developed. For example, PatentDocument 1 clos a system which judges whether or not a predeterminedperson such as a missing person or a wanted criminal is included inmoving images captured in a street or the like. The system generatesfeature data of a face image included in each frame of captured images,compares pieces of the generated feature data, and thus sorts thefeature data for each person such that feature data of an identicalperson is included in a single group. The system determinesrepresentative feature data for each person on the basis of the sortedfeature data, and transmits at least one of the determined feature dataand a face image corresponding to the determined feature data to a facerecognition apparatus as representative face data. The face recognitionapparatus collates the transmitted data with face data of apredetermined person registered in a face data dictionary.

Patent Document 2 discloses an image processing apparatus whichidentifies an identical person from images captured by differentcameras, and thus automatically tracks the person. The different camerascapture images of the person from different directions.

Patent Document 3 discloses a technique of detecting a walking state ofa person from temporally-distant frames or person image sequencesobtained by different cameras, and judging whether or not personsincluded in different image sequences are the same person on the basisof the walking state.

RELATED DOCUMENT Patent Document

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2017-182210

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2015-2547

[Patent Document 3] International Publication No. WO2006/013765

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

The present inventor has examined a new technique for identifying aperson who cannot be identified in an original image by using imageprocessing on other images. In other words, an object of the presentinvention is to provide a technique for identifying a person who cannotbe identified in an original image by using image processing on otherimages.

Solution to Problem

In each aspect of the present invention, the following configuration isemployed to solve the above-described problem.

A first aspect relates to an information processing apparatus.

A first information processing apparatus related to the first aspectincludes an acquisition unit that acquires a first image from whichperson region feature information regarding a region including otherthan a face of a retrieval target person is extracted, a second image inwhich a collation result with the person region feature informationindicates a match, and a facial region is detected, and resultinformation indicating a collation result between face informationstored in a storage unit and face information extracted from the facialregion; and a display processing unit that displays at least two of thefirst image, the second image, and the result information on anidentical screen.

A second information processing apparatus related to the first aspectincludes an acquisition unit that acquires a second image in which acollation result with person region feature information regarding aregion including other than a face of a retrieval target personindicates a match, and a facial region is detected, and resultinformation indicating a collation result between face informationstored in a storage unit and face information extracted from the facialregion; and a display processing unit that displays the acquired secondimage and result information on an identical screen.

A third information processing apparatus related to the first aspectincludes an acquisition unit that acquires a first image from whichperson region feature information regarding a region including otherthan a face of a retrieval target person is extracted, and resultinformation indicating a collation result between face informationextracted from a second image in which a collation result with theperson region feature information indicates a match, and a faceinformation stored in a storage unit; and a display processing unit thatdisplays the acquired first image and result information on an identicalscreen.

A second aspect relates to an information processing method executed byat least one computer.

A first information processing method related to the second aspect,executed by an information processing apparatus, includes: acquiring afirst image used to generate person region feature informationindicating a feature of a retrieval target person, a second image inwhich a collation result with the person region feature informationindicates a match, and a facial region is detected, and resultinformation indicating a collation result between face informationstored in a storage unit and face information extracted from the facialregion; and displaying at least two of the first image, the secondimage, and the result information on an identical screen.

A second information processing method related to the second aspect,executed by an information processing apparatus, includes: acquiring asecond image in which a collation result with person region featureinformation regarding a region including other than a face of aretrieval target person indicates a match, and a facial region isdetected, and result information indicating a collation result betweenface information stored in a storage unit and face information extractedfrom the facial region; and displaying the acquired second image andresult information on an identical screen.

A third information processing method related to the second aspect,executed by an information processing apparatus, includes: acquiring afirst image from which person region feature information regarding aregion including other than a face of a retrieval target person isextracted, and result information indicating a collation result betweenface information extracted from a second image in which a collationresult with the person region feature information indicates a match, anda face information stored in a storage unit; and displaying the acquiredfirst image and result information on an identical screen.

It should be noted that other aspects of the present invention mayrelate to a program causing at least one computer to execute the methodof the second aspect, and may relate to a computer readable storagemedium storing such a program. The storage medium includes anon-transitory medium.

The computer program includes computer program codes causing a computerto execute the control method of the information processing apparatus onthe information processing apparatus when the program is executed by thecomputer.

It should be noted that any combination of the above-describedconstituent elements, and expressional conversion of the presentinvention among a method, an apparatus, a system, a storage medium, acomputer program, and the like is also effective as an aspect of thepresent invention.

Various constituent elements of the present invention are notnecessarily required to be individually independent elements. Forexample, a plurality of constituent elements may be configured as asingle member, a single constituent element may be configured with aplurality of members, any constituent element may be a part of anotherconstituent element, and a part of any constituent element may overlap apart of another constituent element.

A plurality of procedures are sequentially described in the method andthe computer program of the present invention, but the order ofdescription does not limit an order of executing the plurality ofprocedures. Thus, in a case where the method and the computer program ofthe present invention are executed, the order of the plurality ofprocedures may be changed within the scope without contradiction tocontents thereof.

The plurality of procedures of the method and the computer program ofthe present invention are not limited to being respectively executed atdifferent timings Thus, another procedure may occur during execution ofany procedure, and an execution timing of any procedure may partially orentirely overlap an execution timing of another procedure.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to each aspect above, it is possible to provide a techniquefor identifying a person who cannot be identified in an original imageby using image processing on other images.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-described object, and other objects, features, and advantageswill become apparent throughout preferable example embodiments describedbelow and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of an imageprocessing system according to an example embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating examples of data structures ofvideo data and image data.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a logicalconfiguration of an information processing apparatus according to afirst example embodiment.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating for explaining a first imageand a second image.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of procedures of a processof the information processing apparatus generating first featureinformation.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating examples of data structures ofa first feature information storage unit and a second featureinformation storage unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of theinformation processing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating details of a retrieval process instep S110 in FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating a logicalconfiguration of an information processing apparatus according to asecond example embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of arecognition information database.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of procedures of arecognition process in the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating another example of an operation ofthe information processing apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of asecond feature information storage unit.

FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram illustrating a logicalconfiguration of an information processing apparatus according to athird example embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a result list screendisplayed by the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of arecognition result storage unit.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of theinformation processing apparatus.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of detailed procedures ofa display process in step S130 in FIG. 17 .

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating details of a display example in acandidate display section in FIG. 15 .

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating details of a display example in acandidate display section in FIG. 15 .

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed informationwindow.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of procedures of a displayprocess in the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of procedures of a displayprocess in the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of procedures of a displayprocess in the information processing apparatus.

FIGS. 25A to 25F are diagrams for explaining changes of a displayscreen.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer implementingthe information processing apparatus of each example embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, example embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings. The same constituent elementsare given the same reference numerals throughout all the drawings, anddescription thereof will not be repeated as appropriate.

In each drawing of the present specification, a configuration of aportion having no relation to the essence of the present invention isomitted and is not illustrated.

First Example Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of an imageprocessing system according to an example embodiment of the presentinvention.

An image processing system 1 includes an information processingapparatus 100. The information processing apparatus 100 retrieves acertain person from images captured by a plurality of cameras 5 a, 5 b,5 c, . . . (referred to as a “camera 5” or “cameras 5” in a case wherethe cameras are not particularly required to be differentiated from eachother).

For example, there is a case where only a retrieval target person's backis captured in, for example, an original image (second image 22), andthus face recognition cannot be performed. In this case, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 finds a matching candidate, who resembles theretrieval target person, from other images (first images 10) captured bythe cameras 5 by using information (hereinafter, referred to as firstfeature information) such as a physique, and the person is identifiedthrough face recognition by using an image in which the face thereof isshown among the images.

It should be noted that, in the example embodiment, the “acquisition”includes at least one of an apparatus fetching (active acquisition) dataor information stored in another apparatus or a storage medium and theapparatus inputting (passive acquisition) therein data or informationwhich is output from another apparatus. As an example of the activeacquisition, there are a case where an apparatus sends a request or aninquiry to another apparatus, and receives a response thereto, and acase where the apparatus accesses another apparatus or a storage medium,and reads data or information. As an example of the passive acquisition,there is a case where a host apparatus receives delivered information(alternatively, transmitted information or information sent through pushnotification). The “acquisition” may include selectively acquiring dataor information from received data or information, or selectivelyreceiving delivered data or information.

The camera 5 is a camera including a lens and an imaging element such asa charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor. The camera 5 is, forexample, a network camera such as an Internet Protocol (IP) camera. Thenetwork camera has, for example, a wireless local area network (LAN)communication function, and is connected to the information processingapparatus 100 through a communication network, that is, a relayapparatus (not illustrated) such as a router. The cameras 5 may beso-called surveillance cameras provided in a street or inside andoutside a building. The camera 5 may include a mechanism which tracksmovement of a specific person in accordance with the movement, andperforms control of a camera main body or a direction of a lens, zoomcontrol, or focusing.

The camera 5 and the information processing apparatus 100 may not beconnected to each other, may be directly connected to each other, andmay be indirectly connected to each other through a communicationnetwork 3 or the like. In a case where the camera 5 and the informationprocessing apparatus 100 are not connected to each other, for example,image data is read and acquired from a medium 7 a and a medium 7 b(hereinafter, referred to as a “medium 7” or “media 7” in a case wherethe media are not particularly required to be differentiated from eachother) which respectively store images captured by the camera 5 a andthe camera 5 b.

The camera 5 c in an example of being connected to the informationprocessing apparatus 100 through the communication network 3 or the likehas, for example, a wireless local area network (LAN) communicationfunction, and is connected to the information processing apparatus 100through the communication network 3, that is, a relay apparatus (notillustrated) such as a router. The camera 5 c is preferably a networkcamera such as an Internet Protocol (IP) camera.

Regarding a timing at which an image is transmitted from the camera 5 tothe information processing apparatus 100, an image may be delivered inreal time, for example, through streaming delivery, and imagescorresponding to a predetermined period may be transmitted at apredetermined interval. The transmission timing may be selected asappropriate on the basis of a memory capacity, a communication capacity,or image processing performance of the camera 5 or the informationprocessing apparatus 100, or a communication situation or the likebetween the camera 5 and the information processing apparatus 100, andmay be changed depending on a situation change.

For example, image data captured by the camera 5 may be directlytransmitted to the information processing apparatus 100, and theinformation processing apparatus 100 may sequentially receive the imagedata. A storage apparatus (not illustrated) which can be accessed byboth of the camera 5 and the information processing apparatus 100 may beprovided. In this case, image data captured by the camera 5 is stored inthe storage apparatus. The information processing apparatus 100 readsthe image data from the storage apparatus.

Here, the image data may be at least one of a still image and a movingimage. A data format, a file format, a file size, an image size, aresolution of an image, a frame rate of moving images, and the like arenot particularly limited, and data or files of various formats may beemployed according to specifications, standards, performance, and thelike of the camera 5 and the information processing apparatus 100, orimage analysis processing performance or accuracy thereof Δt least oneframe of the image data may be at least one of a first image 10 and asecond image 22 which will be described later.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure ofvideo data 40. The video data 40 is captured by a certain camera 5, andis received from the camera 5 or is stored on the medium 7. The videodata 40 includes pieces of information indicating a video ID foridentifying the video data 40, a medium ID for identifying the medium 7storing the video data 40 or a camera ID for identifying the camera 5capturing the video data 40, and imaging conditions (for example, animaging location and imaging time) of the camera 5, and the entity ofthe video data.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of thefirst image 10. The first image 10 is a part of the video data 40captured by a certain camera 5, and may be any frame of the video data40. The first image 10 includes pieces of information indicating animage ID for identifying the image and a video ID for identifying thevideo data 40 which is the source of the image, and the entity of imagedata. In a case where the entity of image data is a frame, the firstimage 10 further includes information indicating a frame number foridentifying the frame. The image ID may be a file name. It should benoted that the first image 10 is an image from which a retrieval targetperson is retrieved unlike the second image 22. The first image 10 maybe captured by a camera 5 which is different from a camera capturing thesecond image 22.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a logicalconfiguration of the information processing apparatus 100 of the presentexample embodiment. The information processing apparatus 100 includes acollation unit 102, an extraction unit 104, and a registration unit 106.In the example illustrated in FIG. 3 , the information processingapparatus 100 further includes a second feature information storage unit110. The second feature information storage unit 110 may be integratedwith a main body of the information processing apparatus 100, and may beseparated therefrom. The second feature information storage unit 110 mayhave a database structure, and may have other data structures.

The collation unit 102 performs a collation process of collating firstfeature information indicating a feature of a retrieval target personwith feature information of a person region extracted from a personincluded in the first image 10. Here, first feature informationextracted from the second image 22 is feature information indicating afeature of a person region of a retrieval target person, and will alsobe hereinafter first feature information 14 a. Feature information of aperson region extracted from a person included in the retrieval targetfirst image 10 will also be hereinafter referred to as first featureinformation 14 b. In a case where a collation result in the collationunit 102 indicates a match, the extraction unit 104 extracts secondfeature information from a person included in the first image 10. Theregistration unit 106 stores the second feature information extractedfrom the person included in the first image 10 in the second featureinformation storage unit 110. In other words, the registration unit 106registers the second feature information extracted from the personincluded in the first image 10 in the second feature information storageunit 110.

Specifically, the collation unit 102 acquires the first image 10 byreading the first image 10 from the medium 7 or by receiving the firstimage 10 from the camera 5. First, the collation unit 102 specifies aperson region from the acquired first image 10, and performs a collationprocess with the first feature information 14 a on the specified personregion. Here, there may be a plurality of pieces of first featureinformation 14 a.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example of the second image 22. The second image22 is an image in which a person is captured, but the person cannot beidentified through face recognition or the like. The second image 22 is,for example, an image in which a person faces backward, and thus theface thereof is not captured, an image in which a face is not capturedto the extent to which matching accuracy of a reference value or morecan be obtained in a face recognition, or a low quality image on whichface recognition cannot be performed. It should be noted that the imagein which a person cannot be identified is not limited to a case whereface recognition cannot be performed. The image may be an image in whicha person cannot be identified in other recognition methods. The otherrecognition methods may be, for example, biological recognition, and isrecognition using at least one of an iris, a pinna, a vein, and afingerprint. With respect to a person captured in the second image 22,instead of identifying the person through a face recognition process orother recognition processes, the first feature information 14 a may beextracted from a person region of the person. In other words, a facerecognition process or other recognition processes are not necessarilyrequired to be performed on the second image 22. In other words, thesecond image 22 may be an image on which identification of a personcaptured therein is not performed.

In a collation process, the collation unit 102 judges a person region ofwhich the matching degree with the first feature information 14 a isequal to or more than a reference, to be a region corresponding to thefirst feature information 14 a. The extraction unit 104 specifies aperson region of which the matching degree with the first featureinformation 14 a is equal to or more than a reference in the first image10, and further specifies a facial region of the person region.

The matching degree is a value indicating the degree of matching, and,in the present example embodiment, the matching degree is a numericalvalue of 0 to 1, is 1 in a case of complete matching, and is 0 in a caseof complete mismatching.

The extraction unit 104 extracts feature information of the specifiedfacial region so as to generate second feature information, and theregistration unit 106 stores the second feature information in thesecond feature information storage unit 110. As illustrated in FIGS. 4Band 4C, a person region 16 and a facial region 20 are specified in thefirst image 10. A person including the regions is a candidate of theretrieval target person.

The extraction unit 104 may extract pieces of the first featureinformation 14 a of a plurality of retrieval target persons from personregions of persons included in a plurality of different second images22, and the registration unit 106 may store a plurality of the pieces offirst feature information 14 a in a first feature information storageunit 112 in association with each other as information regarding anidentical person. The collation unit 102 may perform a collation processby using the plurality of pieces of first feature information 14 a.

The information processing apparatus 100 is not necessarily required toinclude the first feature information storage unit 112. The collationunit 102 may acquire the first feature information 14 a by reading thefirst feature information 14 a from the first feature informationstorage unit 112, or by receiving the first feature information 14 ainputted from an external apparatus. The first feature informationstorage unit 112 may also be used as the second feature informationstorage unit 110. In this case, the information processing apparatus 100uses the generated second feature information as the first featureinformation.

In the present example embodiment, the person region includes regionscorresponding to a first portion and a second portion. The secondportion is at least one region of, for example, a face, an iris, apinna, a vein, and a fingerprint. Alternatively, the second portion maybe a gait of a person instead of a region. The first portion may or notinclude the second portion. In the present example embodiment, the firstportion is a region of the whole body of the person, and the secondportion is a facial region. The first feature information (the firstfeature information 14 a and the first feature information 14 b) of thefirst portion is feature information indicating an appearance featuresuch as a size or a costume of a person. In the present specification,in some cases, the first feature information will be referred to as“person region feature information”, and the second feature informationwill be referred to as “face information”.

The first feature information (the first feature information 14 a andthe first feature information 14 b) includes information indicatingfeatures such as a height, a shoulder width, a body part ratio, agarment (a shape, a color, a material, or the like), a hair style (alsoincluding a hair color), an ornament (a cap, spectacles, an accessory,or the like), and a belonging (a bag, an umbrella, or a stick). Theperson region feature information may include information such aslikelihood of the feature information.

In the present example embodiment, the first feature information 14 a ofa retrieval target person is generated by using the second image 22 inwhich the retrieval target person is captured. The second image 22 maybe an image captured by the camera 5, may be an image captured by otherimaging means, and may be an image read by a scanner.

The information processing apparatus 100 further includes a firstfeature information generation unit (not illustrated). The first featureinformation generation unit generates the first feature information 14 aby using the second image 22 in which a retrieval target person iscaptured, and stores the first feature information 14 a in the firstfeature information storage unit 112.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of procedures of a processof the information processing apparatus 100 generating the first featureinformation 14 a. The first feature information generation unit acquiresan image (second image 22) of a retrieval target person (step S10),generates the first feature information (person region featureinformation) by using the acquired image, and stores the second featureinformation in the first feature information storage unit 112 (stepS20).

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of thefirst feature information storage unit 112. A retrieval target ID foridentifying a retrieval target person, the first feature information 14a of the person, and image data of an original image from which thefirst feature information 14 a is acquired are stored in the firstfeature information storage unit 112 in association with each other. Thefirst feature information storage unit 112 may store the entity of imagedata, and may store a path indicating a location where image data ispreserved and a file name.

FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of thesecond feature information storage unit 110. A candidate ID foridentifying a candidate of a retrieval target person and the secondfeature information of the candidate are stored in association with eachother in the second feature information storage unit 110. The secondfeature information storage unit 110 stores information regarding atleast one candidate of a retrieval target person. In a case where thereare a plurality of retrieval target persons, as illustrated in FIG. 6C,in the second feature information storage unit 110, a retrieval targetID which is a basis of the candidate may be associated with a candidateID and the second feature information of the candidate.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of theinformation processing apparatus 100. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustratingdetails of a retrieval process in step S110 in FIG. 7 .

First, the collation unit 102 acquires the first feature information 14a (person region feature information) of a retrieval target person (stepS101). The collation unit 102 further acquires the first image 10 (stepS103). The flow proceeds to the retrieval process in step S110 in FIG. 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 , in the retrieval process in step S110, first,the collation unit 102 performs a collation process between the firstfeature information 14 a of the retrieval target person and the firstfeature information 14 b of a person region extracted from a personincluded in the first image 10 (step S111). In a case where a collationresult between the first feature information 14 a and the first featureinformation 14 b indicates a match, that is, a region is found of whichthe matching degree with the first feature information 14 a is equal toor more than a reference (YES in step S113), the extraction unit 104generates the second feature information (face information) from theperson included in the first image 10 (step S115). For example, theextraction unit 104 may specify a person region including the region,specify a facial region in the specified person region, and generate thesecond feature information (face information) by extracting featureinformation of the specified facial region. The registration unit 106stores the generated face information in the second feature informationstorage unit 110 (step S117).

In the present example embodiment, in a case where the collation unit102 finds a person matching person region feature information (firstfeature information 14 a) of a retrieval target person from the firstimage 10, the extraction unit 104 generates feature information of afacial region of the person, and the registration unit 106 stores thefeature information in the second feature information storage unit 110.The feature information of the facial region stored in the secondfeature information storage unit 110 is used for a person identificationprocess in image processing. As mentioned above, according to thepresent example embodiment, a retrieval target person can be found fromthe first image 10 captured by the camera 5 by using person regionfeature information (first feature information 14 a) which is obtainedfrom an image in which the face of the retrieval target person is notcaptured, and face feature information of the found person can beextracted and stored.

Second Example Embodiment

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating a logicalconfiguration of an information processing apparatus 100 according to asecond example embodiment. The information processing apparatus 100 ofthe present example embodiment is the same as that of theabove-described example embodiment except that information on acandidate of a retrieval target person is acquired by collating secondfeature information stored in the second feature information storageunit 110 with preregistered face recognition information.

The information processing apparatus 100 in FIG. 9 further includes arecognition unit 120 and an acquisition unit 122 in addition to theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 3 . The recognition unit 120 performsa collation process on the second feature information stored in thesecond feature information storage unit 110 by using a recognitioninformation database 114. The second feature information of a specificperson is registered in association with information regarding theperson in the recognition information database 114. The acquisition unit122 acquires information regarding a person associated with the secondfeature information judged to have the matching degree of a reference ormore, from the recognition information database 114.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of therecognition information database 114. A recognition ID for identifying aspecific person (hereinafter, referred to as a registered person) ofwhich recognition information is registered, face feature information(second feature information) indicating a feature of a face of theregistered person, face image data of the registered person, the name ofthe registered person, attribute information of the registered personare registered in association with each other in the recognitioninformation database 114.

The entity of the face image data may be registered in the recognitioninformation database 114, and a path indicating a location where theface image data is stored and a file name may be registered. As will bedescribed later, the face image data is used for screen display, and anoperator may view a face picture displayed on a screen along a name andattribute information.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 9 , the recognition informationdatabase 114 is a part of the information processing apparatus 100. Therecognition information database 114 may be integrated with a main bodyof the information processing apparatus 100, and may be separatedtherefrom. The recognition information database 114 may be included inthe same apparatus as that of second feature information storage unit110, and may be included in different apparatuses. The recognitioninformation database 114 has a database structure, but may have otherdata structures.

The collation unit 102 may have the function of the recognition unit 120of the present example embodiment.

The information processing apparatus 100 may include an outputprocessing unit (not illustrated) which reads identification information(recognition ID or a name) corresponding to face feature informationstored in the recognition information database 114, and performs aprocess of outputting the identification information from an outputunit, in a case where a recognition result in the recognition unit 120indicates a match. An output process will be described later in detail.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of procedures of arecognition process in the information processing apparatus 100 of thepresent example embodiment.

First, the recognition unit 120 performs a collation process on thesecond feature information stored in the second feature informationstorage unit 110 by using the recognition information database 114 (stepS121). In a case where there is a person judged to have the matchingdegree of a reference or more through the collation process (YES in stepS123), the recognition unit 120 acquires information (a name or thelike) regarding the person from the recognition information database 114(step S125).

In the present example embodiment, the registration unit 106 of theinformation processing apparatus 100 stores a region corresponding to atleast the first feature information 14 a in the first image 10, in thesecond feature information storage unit 110 in association with thesecond feature information.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12 , after step S117 in theflowchart of FIG. 8 , the registration unit 106 may store image data ofa person region in the first image 10, in the second feature informationstorage unit 110 in association with the second feature information(face information) (step S119).

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of thesecond feature information storage unit 110 of the present exampleembodiment. In the present example embodiment, in addition to theinformation described in FIG. 6B, information regarding the matchingdegree calculated in the collation process in step S121 in FIG. 11 ,image data of the person region, and an image ID (in FIG. 13 ,illustrated as an original image ID) for identifying the first image 10from which the person region is acquired may be stored in associationwith each other in the second feature information storage unit 110.

Due to association with the original image ID, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 may acquire a video ID from the first image 10exemplified in FIG. 4B, and may further acquire information such as animaging location from the second image 22 exemplified in FIG. 4A, inassociation with the second feature information. The informationprocessing apparatus 100 may store imaging conditions such as an imaginglocation, an imaging direction, and an imaging time of the camera 5 inassociation with the second feature information in the second featureinformation storage unit 110.

As described above, in the present example embodiment, the recognitionunit 120 performs a collation process with face information registeredin the recognition information database 114 on face information storedin the second feature information storage unit 110, and thus theacquisition unit 122 can acquire information regarding a similar person.As mentioned above, according to the present example embodiment, it ispossible to achieve the same effect as that in the above-describedexample embodiment, and also to acquire information regarding a similarperson from the first image 10 captured by the camera 5 by performing aface recognition process on a candidate resembling a retrieval targetperson by using person region feature information.

Third Example Embodiment

FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram illustrating a logicalconfiguration of an information processing apparatus 100 according to athird example embodiment. The information processing apparatus 100 ofthe present example embodiment is the same as that of the second exampleembodiment except for a configuration in which information regarding adetected candidate is displayed. The information processing apparatus100 further includes a display processing unit 130 in addition to theconfiguration in FIG. 9 . The display processing unit 130 displaysvarious pieces of information on a display apparatus 132 such as aliquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) displayconnected to the information processing apparatus 100.

In the present example embodiment, the acquisition unit 122 acquires aplurality of candidate person region images and pieces of information(names or attributes) from the recognition information database 114. Thedisplay processing unit 130 displays each candidate person region imagein an image display section 214, and displays information regarding atleast one person who is detected as a candidate as a result of a facerecognition process in a candidate display section 222 for eachcandidate. Specifically, the display processing unit 130 displays atleast two of a retrieval target display section 202, a retrieval resultdisplay section 210, and a recognition result display section 220 on anidentical screen.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a result list screen 200displayed by the information processing apparatus 100 of the presentexample embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 15 , theretrieval target display section 202, the retrieval result displaysection 210, and the recognition result display section 220 aredisplayed on the identical result list screen 200. It should be notedthat an example of displaying at least two of the retrieval targetdisplay section 202, the retrieval result display section 210, and therecognition result display section 220 on an identical screen will bedescribed later.

In the present example embodiment, the acquisition unit 122 acquires atleast some information displayed by the display processing unit 130.Such some information includes, for example, the second image 22 fromwhich the first feature information 14 a (person region featureinformation) indicating a feature regarding a region other than the faceof a retrieval target person, the first image 10 (hereinafter, referredto as a candidate person region image in some cases) in which acollation result with the first feature information 14 a (person regionfeature information) indicates a match, and a facial region is detected,and result information. The result information indicates a result ofcollating face information stored in the recognition informationdatabase 114 with second feature information extracted from a facialregion, and is generated by the recognition unit 120. Specifically, theresult information is data stored in a recognition result storage unit116.

The collation result with the first feature information 14 a (personregion feature information) indicating a match is to include, forexample, a region in which the matching degree with the first featureinformation 14 a (person region feature information) is equal to or morethan a reference.

The second image 22 in which a retrieval target person is captured isdisplayed in the retrieval target display section 202. The second image22 displayed in the retrieval target display section 202 is a part ofthe second image 22 including at least a person region of the retrievaltarget person, and may be, for example, an image generated by cuttingthe second image into a rectangular shape including the person region ofthe retrieval target person. The retrieval result display section 210includes at least one candidate display section 212. Each candidatedisplay section 212 includes the image display section 214. A candidateperson region image of the candidate is displayed in the image displaysection 214 along with an imaging condition (for example, an imaginglocation) of the image, and the matching degree with the second image 22displayed in the retrieval target display section 202. The candidateperson region image is at least a part of the first image 10, and maybe, for example, an image generated by cutting the first image into arectangular shape including a person region matching in collation. Aresult of face recognition is displayed in the recognition resultdisplay section 220, and the candidate display section 222 is alsodisplayed for each candidate displayed in the candidate display section212. The candidate display section 222 includes an image display section224. A face image of a person of which the matching degree with thecandidate person region image is high is displayed in the image displaysection 224. Information displayed in the image display section 224 isincluded in the above-described result information.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 15 , the pieces of informationregarding a plurality of candidates are displayed in a descending orderof the matching degree with the first feature information 14 a. Here,the pieces of information regarding a plurality of candidates aredisplayed in a descending order of the matching degree with the secondfeature information in the candidate display section 222. The number ofcandidates displayed in the retrieval result display section 210 and therecognition result display section 220 may be settable on a setting menu(not illustrated) or the like. All candidates of which the matchingdegree is equal to or more than a predetermined reference value may bedisplayed on a list screen or through scrolling. In this case, thepredetermined reference value may be settable on a setting menu.

As illustrated in FIG. 14 , the information processing apparatus 100further includes the recognition result storage unit 116. Therecognition result storage unit 116 may be integrated with a main bodyof the information processing apparatus 100, and may be separatedtherefrom. The recognition result storage unit 116 may be included inthe same apparatus as that of second feature information storage unit110 and the recognition information database 114, and may be included indifferent apparatuses. The recognition result storage unit 116 may havea database structure.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of therecognition result storage unit 116 of the present example embodiment. Acandidate ID, a recognition result ID for identifying resultinformation, the matching degree of face recognition, and recognitioninformation ID indicating source recognition information from which theresult information is obtained are registered in the recognition resultstorage unit 116 in association with each other for each candidate.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of theinformation processing apparatus 100 of the present example embodiment.First, the recognition process (step S120) described with reference toFIG. 11 is performed, and then the acquisition unit 122 stores theinformation regarding the person acquired in the recognition process inthe recognition result storage unit 116 as result information (stepS127). The display processing unit 130 displays the acquired information(the result list screen 200 in FIG. 15 ) on the display apparatus 132(step S130).

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of detailed procedures ofthe display process in step S130 in FIG. 17 . First, the acquisitionunit 122 acquires an image (second image 22) of the retrieval targetperson from the first feature information storage unit 112 (step S131).The acquisition unit 122 acquires a candidate image (first image 10)including a region of which the matching degree is equal to or more thana reference and a facial region from the second feature informationstorage unit 110 (step S133). The acquisition unit 122 acquires resultinformation from the recognition result storage unit 116 (step S135).

The display processing unit 130 displays the second image 22 acquired instep S131 in the retrieval target display section 202 of the result listscreen 200, displays the candidate image acquired in step S133 in theimage display section 214 of the retrieval result display section 210,and displays the result information acquired in step S135 in therecognition result display section 220 (step S137).

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating details of a display example in thecandidate display section 212 in FIG. 15 . The candidate display section212 includes the image display section 214, a candidate ranking displaysection 215, a matching degree display section 216, and an imaginglocation display section 218. An image including the person region 16 ofa candidate is displayed in the image display section 214, and a framesurrounding the person region 16 and a frame surrounding the facialregion 20 may be separately displayed.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating details of a display example in thecandidate display section 222 in FIG. 15 . The candidate display section222 includes the image display section 224, a candidate ranking displaysection 225, a matching degree display section 226, a name displaysection 228, a candidate attribute information display section 229, anda detail display button 230. A face image of a person detected through aface recognition process is displayed in the image display section 224.The name of the person is displayed in the name display section 228. Atleast one of the face image and identification information of the persondetected through the face recognition process is displayed in thecandidate display section 222. It should be noted that theidentification information of the person may be identificationinformation (the recognition ID in FIG. 10 ) in the recognitioninformation database 114, and may be at least one of a name and anattribute.

Attribute information of the person detected through the facerecognition process, for example, the sex and the age thereof aredisplayed in the candidate attribute information display section 229. Adetail display button 230 is an operation button used to display newattribute information of the person. In a case where pressing of thedetail display button 230 is received, a detailed information window 240in FIG. 21 is displayed. Detailed information displayed in the detailedinformation window 240 may be registered in the recognition informationdatabase 114, and may be stored in another storage apparatus inassociation with a recognition ID. As part of result information,information for reaching the detailed information is stored in therecognition result storage unit 116.

As described above, in the present example embodiment, the displayprocessing unit 130 displays, on the identical result list screen 200,an image (second image 22) of a retrieval target person, an image of aperson region of a candidate detected through a collation process withthe first feature information 14 a (person region feature information)in the first image 10 captured by the camera 5, and an image andinformation of a candidate detected through a collation process on afacial region included in the person region using the recognitioninformation database 114.

As mentioned above, according to the present example embodiment, animage of a candidate can be detected in the first image 10 captured bythe camera 5 and be displayed on the basis of an image (second image 22)of a retrieval target person of which a face is not captured, and, withrespect to a facial region in the image of the candidate, a face imageand attribute information of a person registered in the recognitioninformation database 114 can be viewed on the identical result listscreen 200.

Fourth Example Embodiment

In the above-described example embodiment, the configuration has beendescribed in which the retrieval target display section 202, theretrieval result display section 210, and the recognition result displaysection 220 are displayed on the result list screen 200 together. Theinformation processing apparatus 100 of the present example embodimentdisplays the retrieval target display section 202, displays thecandidate display section 212 in which an image of at least onecandidate is displayed or the candidates may be displayed in a switchingmanner in a ranking order and further displays the display section 222in which a face recognition result for a selected candidate isindicated.

FIGS. 22 to 24 are diagrams illustrating examples of procedures of adisplay process in the information processing apparatus 100 of thepresent example embodiment. FIGS. 25A to 25F are diagrams for explainingchanges of a display screen. Hereinafter, a description will be made ofa display process in the information processing apparatus 100 withreference to the drawings.

First, the display processing unit 130 receives specification for aretrieval target person in the second image 22, and displays theretrieval target person in the retrieval target display section 202 of ascreen 300 in FIG. 25A (step S201). For example, in a case where aplurality of persons are included in the second image 22, a frame forspecifying the person region 16 of the target person may be operated onthe second image 22 by an operator to display the target person. Thescreen 300 further includes a retrieval button 302 and a cancel button304.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 25 , there is a single retrievaltarget person, but, in a case where a collation process is performed byusing the first feature information 14 a of a plurality of retrievaltarget persons captured in a plurality of second images 22, a pluralityof images of the plurality of retrieval target persons may be displayedin the retrieval target display section 202. At least one candidatedisplay section 212 may be displayed for each retrieval target person,and a plurality of pieces of information regarding a plurality ofcandidates obtained as a result of a collation process using the firstfeature information 14 a of a plurality of retrieval target persons maybe displayed in the candidate display section 212.

In a case where pressing of the retrieval button 302 is received (YES instep S203), the information processing apparatus 100 performs theretrieval process described in FIG. 8 (step S110). A message 306indicating that retrieval is in progress is displayed during theretrieval process (step S205). In a case where pressing of the cancelbutton 304 is received during the retrieval process, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 stops the retrieval process, and returns tostep S201 (not illustrated).

In a case where a candidate is not found as a result of the retrievalprocess (NO in step S207), a screen 310 in FIG. 25E is displayed. Thescreen 310 includes a message 312 indicating that a candidate is notfound. The screen 310 may include a re-retrieval button 314. In a casewhere pressing of the re-retrieval button 314 is received, the flow mayreturn to step S201, and a message prompting re-selection of the secondimage 22 of a retrieval target person may be displayed such thatre-selection is received (not illustrated).

In the present example embodiment, it is assumed that a candidatedisplay method is set in advance on a setting menu (not illustrated) orthe like. On the setting menu, a method in which detected candidates aredisplayed one by one or a method in which detected candidate are alldisplayed (by a predetermined number of persons (for example, by thethree highest-ranking persons)) may be selected. In a case where atleast one candidate is found (YES in step S207), the informationprocessing apparatus 100 changes a candidate display method according tothe setting (step S211). For example, in a case where all candidates(three highest-ranking persons in this example) are selected, the flowproceeds to the recognition process in step S120, and a face recognitionprocess is performed on a facial region of each candidate. The resultlist screen 200 (FIG. 15 ) indicating a result of the face recognitionprocess is displayed (step S213).

In a case where the setting of sequentially displaying candidates one byone is selected (sequential in step S211), the information processingapparatus 100 proceeds to step S221 (FIG. 23 ). First, 1 is set in acounter i (step S221). In a case where i is equal to or less than 1, asillustrated in FIG. 25B, a next button 332 for displaying the nextcandidate is displayed on a screen 330, and a previous button fordisplaying the previous candidate is not displayed (step S225). Theretrieval target display section 202 and the candidate display section212 of a first candidate are displayed on the screen 330 (step S233). Aretrieval button 334 for receiving a face recognition process for thecandidate is displayed on the screen 330.

A process is changed depending on the type of pressed operation buttonon the screen 330 (step S235). In a case where pressing of the nextbutton 332 is received, i is incremented to 2 (step S243), and the flowreturns to step S223. Since i is 2, a result in step S223 indicates NO,and a previous button 342 is further displayed on a screen 340 (stepS227). Here, assuming that a maximum value of the number of displayedcandidates is 3, i>the maximum value imax−1 (that is, 2) is notestablished (NO in step S229), the flow proceeds to step S233, and thecandidate display section 212 of a second candidate is displayed on ascreen 340 in FIG. 25C (step S233).

In a case where the previous button 342 is pressed (previous in stepS235), i is decremented to 1 (step S241), and the flow returns to stepS223. Since i≤1 is established, the flow proceeds to step S225, the nextbutton 332 is displayed, and the previous button 342 is not displayed.The candidate display section 212 of the first candidate is displayed onthe screen 330 (FIG. 25B) (step S235).

In a case where the retrieval button 334 is pressed on the screen 330 inFIG. 25B (retrieval in step S235), a face recognition process isperformed on a facial region of the first candidate (step S120). In acase where result information is acquired, a result screen 350 in FIG.25D is displayed (step S237). The retrieval target display section 202,the candidate display section 212, and the candidate display section 222are displayed on the result screen 350, and a change button 352 forperforming a face recognition process on other candidates may be furtherdisplayed.

In a case where the change button 352 is pressed (YES in step S239), theflow returns to step S223. Here, since i is 1, the screen 330 in FIG.25B is displayed. In a case where the next button 332 is selected, thesecond candidate is displayed (step S233), and, in a case where theretrieval button 334 is selected (retrieval in step S235), a facerecognition process is performed on the second candidate (step S120).

As another example, candidates may be displayed by a predeterminednumber of persons (for example, by the three highest-ranking persons)instead of one by one, and a person on which a face recognition processis to be performed may be selected from among the candidates. FIG. 24 isa flowchart illustrating an example of procedures of a display process.In a case where a candidate is detected in step S207 in FIG. 22 (YES instep S207), a screen 360 in FIG. 25F is displayed (step S251). Therecognition result display section 220, and the retrieval result displaysection 210 including the candidate display sections 212 of a pluralityof candidates (three persons in this example) are displayed on thescreen 360. A retrieval button 362 for receiving selection of acandidate on which a face recognition process is to be performed isdisplayed in the candidate display section 212.

In a case where the retrieval button 362 is pressed (YES in step S253),the recognition unit 120 performs a face recognition process on theselected candidate (step S120). A result of the face recognition processis displayed on the screen 350 in FIG. 25D. On the screen 350, an imageof the candidate selected as a target of the face recognition process isdisplayed in the candidate display section 212.

As described above, in the present example embodiment, the displayprocessing unit 130 can display the screen 320 or the screen 360including the retrieval target display section 202 and the retrievalresult display section 210. Since, on the screen 320 or the screen 360,an operator can select a candidate on which a face recognition processis to be performed, and can perform the face recognition process, theface recognition process can be omitted on a clearly dissimilar person,and thus efficiency is improved. A display content can be changeddepending on a size or the like of a display, and thus easily viewablescreen display is possible.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of acomputer 80 implementing the information processing apparatus 100 ofeach of the above-described example embodiments.

The computer 80 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 82, a memory84, a program 90, loaded to the memory 84, for implementing theconstituent elements of each information processing apparatus 100 inFIGS. 2, 9, and 11 , a storage 85 storing the program 90, aninput/output (I/O) 86, and a network connection interface (communicationI/F 87).

The CPU 82, the memory 84, the storage 85, the I/O 86, and thecommunication I/F 87 are connected to each other through a bus 89, andthe entire information processing apparatus is controlled by the CPU 82.However, a method of connecting the CPU 82 and the like to each other isnot limited to bus connection.

The memory 84 is a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or a readonly memory (ROM). The storage 85 is a storage apparatus such as a harddisk, a solid state drive (SSD), or a memory card.

The storage 85 may be a memory such as a RAM or a ROM. The storage 85may be provided in the computer 80, may be provided outside the computer80 as long as the computer 80 can assess the storage, and may beconnected to the computer 80 in a wired or wireless manner.Alternatively, the storage may be provided to be attachable to anddetachable from the computer 80.

The CPU 82 reads the program 90 stored in the storage 85 to the memory84 and executes the program, and can thus realize the function of eachunit of the information processing apparatus 100 of each exampleembodiment.

The I/O 86 controls input and output of data and a control signal amongthe computer 80 and other input and output apparatuses. The other inputand output apparatuses include, for example, input apparatuses (notillustrated) such as a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and amicrophone connected to the computer 80, output apparatuses (notillustrated) such as a display, a printer, and a speaker, and aninterface among the computer 80 and the input and output apparatuses.The I/O 86 may control input and output of data with other reading orwriting apparatuses (not illustrated) for a storage medium.

The communication I/F 87 is a network connection interface performingcommunication between the computer 80 and an external apparatus. Thecommunication I/F 87 may be a network interface for connection to acable line, and may be a network interface for connection to a radioline. For example, the computer 80 implementing the informationprocessing apparatus 100 is connected to at least one camera 5 through anetwork by using the communication I/F 87.

Each constituent element of the information processing apparatus 100 ofeach example embodiment is realized by any combination of hardware andsoftware of the computer 80 in FIG. 26 . It is understood by a personskilled in the art that there are various modification examples in arealization method and a realization apparatus. The functional blockdiagram illustrating the information processing apparatus 100 of each ofthe above-described example embodiments indicates a block in the logicalfunctional unit instead of a configuration in the hardware unit.

The information processing apparatus 100 may be configured with aplurality of computers 80, and may be realized by a virtual server.

As the example of being configured with a plurality of computers 80, thepresent invention may be realized as an information processing systemexemplified below, but is not limited thereto.

(1) The extraction unit 104 and the collation unit 102 are implementedby different apparatuses (computers 80). For example, the informationprocessing system may include a terminal apparatus having the extractionunit 104 and a server apparatus having the collation unit 102.

(2) A storage unit implementing the second feature information storageunit 110 and the first feature information storage unit 112 may beimplemented by a plurality of apparatuses. For example, a storage devicestoring second feature information extracted from a person included inthe first image may be provided separately from a storage apparatusstoring identification information and second feature information of aspecific person.

(3) Among extraction processes performed by the extraction unit 104, aprocess of extracting feature information from the first image 10 and aprocess of extracting feature information from the second image 22 areperformed by different apparatuses (computers 80). For example, theinformation processing system may include a plurality of terminalapparatuses having the extraction unit 104 and analyzing videos, and aserver apparatus integrating information therefrom and performing acollation process. The plurality of terminal apparatuses may be disposedto be distributed to respective regions, and the extraction unit 102 maybe implemented by a plurality of physical apparatuses.

(4) Different apparatuses (computers 80) may be used depending on thetype (face feature information and person region feature information) offeature information which is a target of video analysis (the extractionunit 104 and the collation unit 102).

As mentioned above, the example embodiments of the present inventionhave been described with reference to the drawings, but these areexamples of the present invention, and various configurations other thanthe description may be employed.

For example, in the above-described example embodiment, a firstcollation process between feature information extracted from a personregion of a person included in the first image 10 and the first featureinformation 14 a of a retrieval target person, and a second collationprocess between second feature information extracted from a facialregion of a person in the first image 10, indicating a match in thecollation process, and face feature information of a registered person,are performed. In other example embodiments, the collation unit 102 mayperform at least either one of the first collation process and thesecond collation process with respect to a third image which isdifferent from the first image 10 and the second image 22 by using thefirst feature information 14 a and the second feature information.

In this configuration, in a case where a facial region can be detectedfrom the third image, the second collation process with the secondfeature information may be performed instead of the first collationprocess with the first feature information 14 a. In a case where afacial region cannot be detected from the third image, the firstcollation process with the first feature information 14 a may beperformed. New second feature information generated through the firstcollation process may be stored in the second feature informationstorage unit 110.

According to this configuration, it is possible to retrieve a retrievaltarget person from the third image by performing a collation processusing the first feature information 14 a or the second featureinformation which is already acquired, on the third image captured atthe date and time or a location which is different from that of thefirst image 10.

In the above-described example embodiment, a description has been madeof an example in which the first feature information is featureinformation extracted from a first portion of a person region, and thesecond feature information is feature information from a second portionof the person region, for example, a facial region, but there may beother combinations of the first feature information and the secondfeature information.

As a first example, the first feature information may be informationindicating at least one of colors of clothes, the age, the sex, and theheight of a person, and the second feature information may be facefeature information of a person.

In this example, for example, in a case where a face of a retrievaltarget person is not captured in the second image 22, and thus facerecognition cannot be performed, instead of performing a process ofextracting the first feature information 14 a from a person region inthe second image 22, at least one of colors of clothes, the age, thesex, and the height of a retrieval target person may be specifiedthrough an operator's operation, and may be stored in the first featureinformation storage unit 112 as the first feature information 14 a. Inthis example, an operation reception portion (not illustrated) forreceiving input of the first feature information of a retrieval targetperson may be provided on a screen along with the retrieval targetdisplay section 202 in which the second image 22 is displayed. Theoperator may input the first feature information of the person whileviewing an image of the retrieval target person displayed in theretrieval target display section 202.

As a second example, the first feature information may be featureinformation of the entire person region, and the second featureinformation may be a plurality of pieces of biological recognitioninformation for performing a multimodal biological recognition processin which a plurality of pieces of biological information are combinedwith each other.

This example may be applied, for example, in a case where a face of aretrieval target person is not captured in the second image 22, and thusface recognition is hard to perform, and the lower half of the body isnot also captured, and thus gait recognition is also hard to perform.The first feature information 14 a may be extracted from a person regionof a person captured in the second image 22, a candidate may be detectedfrom the first image 10 by using the first feature information 14 a, anda person may be identified through a multimodal biological recognitionprocess on the detected candidate by using a plurality of pieces ofbiological information as the second feature information.

As mentioned above, the present invention has been described withreference to the example embodiments and the Examples, but the presentinvention is not limited to the example embodiments and Examples. Theconfiguration or details of the present invention may be subjected tovarious changes which can be understood by a person skilled in the artwithin the scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that acquisition and use of information regarding auser in the present invention are assumed to be performed legally.

Some or all of the above-described example embodiments may be disclosedas in the following appendix, but are not limited thereto.

1. An information processing apparatus including:

an acquisition unit that acquires

-   -   a first image from which person region feature information        regarding a region including other than a face of a retrieval        target person is extracted,    -   a second image in which a collation result with the person        region feature information indicates a match, and a facial        region is detected, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information stored in a storage unit and face information        extracted from the facial region; and

a display processing unit that displays at least two of the first image,the second image, and the result information on an identical screen.

2. An information processing apparatus including:

an acquisition unit that acquires

-   -   a second image in which a collation result with person region        feature information regarding a region including other than a        face of a retrieval target person indicates a match, and a        facial region is detected, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information stored in a storage unit and face information        extracted from the facial region; and

a display processing unit that displays the acquired second image andresult information on an identical screen.

3. An information processing apparatus including:

an acquisition unit that acquires

-   -   a first image from which person region feature information        regarding a region including other than a face of a retrieval        target person is extracted, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information extracted from a second image in which a collation        result with the person region feature information indicates a        match, and a face information stored in a storage unit; and

a display processing unit that displays the acquired first image andresult information on an identical screen.

4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 1. to3.,

in which the acquisition unit acquires a plurality of the second images,and

in which the display processing unit displays the result information foreach of the plurality of acquired second images.

5. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 1. to4.,

in which the display processing unit displays the first image, thesecond image, the result information on an identical screen.

6. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 1. to5.,

in which the display processing unit displays the first image and thesecond image on an identical screen.

7. The information processing apparatus according to 6.,

in which the acquisition unit acquires a plurality of the second images,and

in which in a case where a selection operation of selecting at least oneimage from among the plurality of second images is received, the displayprocessing unit displays the result information for the selected secondimage.

8. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 1. to7.,

in which face feature information of a specific person is stored in astorage unit in association with information regarding the specificperson, and

in which the result information includes at least one of the matchingdegree with the face feature information stored in the storage unit andthe information regarding the specific person.

9. The information processing apparatus according to 8.,

in which the information regarding the specific person includes at leastone of a face picture and identification information of the specificperson.

10. An information processing method executer by an informationprocessing apparatus, the method including:

acquiring

-   -   a first image from used to generate person region feature        information indicating a feature of a retrieval target person,    -   a second image in which a collation result with the person        region feature information indicates a match, and a facial        region is detected, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information stored in a storage unit and face information        extracted from the facial region, and

displaying at least two of the first image, the second image, and theresult information on an identical screen.

11. An information processing method executer by an informationprocessing apparatus, the method including:

acquiring

-   -   a second image in which a collation result with person region        feature information regarding a region including other than a        face of a retrieval target person indicates a match, and a        facial region is detected, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information stored in a storage unit and face information        extracted from the facial region, and displaying the acquired        second image and result information on an identical screen.

12. An information processing method executer by an informationprocessing apparatus, the method including:

acquiring

-   -   a first image from which person region feature information        regarding a region including other than a face of a retrieval        target person is extracted, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information extracted from a second image in which a collation        result with the person region feature information indicates a        match, and a face information stored in a storage unit, and

displaying the acquired first image and result information on anidentical screen.

13. The information processing method executer by an informationprocessing apparatus, according to any one of 10. to 12., the methodincluding:

acquiring a plurality of the second images; and

displaying the result information for each of the plurality of acquiredsecond images.

14. The information processing method executer by an informationprocessing apparatus, according to any one of 10. to 13., the methodincluding:

displaying the first image, the second image, the result information onan identical screen.

15. The information processing method executer by an informationprocessing apparatus, according to any one of 10. to 14., the methodincluding:

displaying the first image and the second image on an identical screen.

16. The information processing method executer by an informationprocessing apparatus, according to 15., the method including:

acquiring a plurality of the second images; and

displaying, in a case where a selection operation of selecting at leastone image from among the plurality of second images is received, theresult information for the selected second image.

17. The information processing method executer by an informationprocessing apparatus, according to any one of 10. to 16., the methodincluding:

storing face feature information of a specific person in a storage unitin association with information regarding the specific person, and

in which the result information includes at least one of the matchingdegree with the face feature information stored in the storage unit andthe information regarding the specific person.

18. The information processing method according to 17.,

in which the information regarding the specific person includes at leastone of a face picture and identification information of the specificperson.

19. A program causing the computer to execute:

a procedure of acquiring

-   -   a first image used to generate person region feature information        indicating a feature of a retrieval target person,    -   a second image in which a collation result with the person        region feature information indicates a match, and a facial        region is detected, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information stored in a storage unit and face information        extracted from the facial region; and

a procedure of displaying at least two of the first image, the secondimage, and the result information on an identical screen.

20. A program causing the computer to execute:

a procedure of acquiring

-   -   a second image in which a collation result with person region        feature information regarding a region including other than a        face of a retrieval target person indicates a match, and a        facial region is detected, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information stored in a storage unit and face information        extracted from the facial region; and

a procedure of displaying the acquired second image and resultinformation on an identical screen.

21. A program causing the computer to execute:

a procedure of acquiring

-   -   a first image from which person region feature information        regarding a region including other than a face of a retrieval        target person is extracted, and    -   result information indicating a collation result between face        information extracted from a second image in which a collation        result with the person region feature information indicates a        match, and a face information stored in a storage unit; and

a procedure of displaying the acquired first image and resultinformation on an identical screen.

22. The program according to any one of 19. to 21., causing the computerto execute:

a procedure of acquiring a plurality of the second images; and

a procedure of displaying the result information for each of theplurality of acquired second images.

23. The program according to any one of 19. to 22., causing the computerto execute

a procedure of displaying the first image, the second image, the resultinformation on an identical screen.

24. The program according to any one of 19. to 23., causing the computerto execute

a procedure of displaying the first image and the second image on anidentical screen.

25. The program according to 15., causing the computer to execute

a procedure of acquiring a plurality of the second images, and

a procedure of displaying, in a case where a selection operation ofselecting at least one image from among the plurality of second imagesis received, the result information for the selected second image.

26. The program according to any one of 19. to 25.,

in which face feature information of a specific person is stored in astorage unit in association with information regarding the specificperson, and

in which the result information includes at least one of the matchingdegree with the face feature information stored in the storage unit andthe information regarding the specific person.

27. The program according to 26.,

in which the information regarding the specific person includes at leastone of a face picture and identification information of the specificperson.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatuscomprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and a processorconfigured to execute the instructions to: acquire first featureinformation other than a facial region of a target person, wherein thefirst feature information corresponds to a first image, acquire secondfeature information containing a first facial region, wherein the secondfeature information corresponds to a second image, determine a firstcollation result between the first feature information and the secondfeature information, determine a second collation result between a facein the first facial region of the second feature information and firstpredetermined facial information, determine a third collation resultbetween the face in the first facial region of the second featureinformation and second predetermined facial information, receive asetting for a display manner for display a plurality of the firstcollation results and a plurality of the second collation results,generate output information comprising the first feature information,the first collation result, the second collation result, and the thirdcollation result, according to the display manner, and display, on ascreen, the output information.
 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the first collation result in the output information includesthe second feature information corresponding to the first collationresult.
 3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured to receive, as the setting of the display manner, a number ofthe first collation results to be included in the output information. 4.The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configuredto receive, as the setting of the display manner, a number of the secondcollation results to be included in the output information.
 5. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured todetermine the second collation result when the first collation resultindicates a match between the first feature information and the secondfeature information.
 6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein thefirst collation result indicates the match when a value of the firstcollation result is greater than a first predetermined threshold.
 7. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured togenerate the output information comprising the first collation result, avalue of which is greater than a second predetermined threshold.
 8. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor is configured toreceive, as the setting of the display manner, the second predeterminedthreshold.
 9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processoris configured to display the second feature information in descendingorder of values of the first collation result.
 10. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to display aplurality of the second feature information arranged in the descendingorder on a list on the screen.
 11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9,wherein the processor is configured to display a plurality of the secondfeature information arranged in the descending order through scrollingon the screen.
 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein theprocessor is configured to sequentially display one of a plurality ofthe second feature information in the descending order on the screen.13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured to: acquire third feature information containing a secondfacial region, wherein the third feature information corresponds to athird image, determine a fourth collation result between the firstfeature information and the third feature information, when the firstcollation result is greater than the fourth collation result: select thesecond feature information for determining the second collation result,and determine the second collation result between the face in the firstfacial region of the second feature information and the firstpredetermined facial information.
 14. The apparatus as claimed in claim13, wherein, when the fourth collation result is greater than the firstcollation result, the processor is configured to: select the thirdfeature information, and determine a fifth collation result between theface in the second facial region of the third feature information andthe first predetermined facial information.
 15. The apparatus as claimedin claim 14, wherein the output information comprises at least thesecond collation result for the second feature information when thefirst collation result is greater than the fourth collation result, andwherein the output information comprises at least the fifth collationresult for the third feature information when the fourth collationresult is greater than the first collation result.
 16. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: acquirethird feature information containing a second facial region, wherein thethird feature information corresponds to a third image, determine afourth collation result between the first feature information and thethird feature information, and wherein the output information comprisesat least the second collation result for the second feature informationand the fourth collation result for the third feature information. 17.The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the processor isconfigured to display the second feature information and the thirdfeature information based on values of the first collation result andthe fourth collation result.
 18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17,wherein the processor is configured to display the second featureinformation and the third feature information in a descending order ofthe values of the first collation result and the fourth collationresult.
 19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firstpredetermined facial information comprises information associated withan identity of a specific person, and wherein the second collationresult indicates a likelihood that the first feature informationcorresponds to the specific person.
 20. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 19, wherein the information associated with the identity of thespecific person comprises at least one facial image of the specificperson.
 21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein theinformation associated with the identity of the specific person furthercomprises additional information identifying the specific person. 22.The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configuredto display the first predetermined facial information and the secondpredetermined facial information based on values of the second collationresult and the third collation result.
 23. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 22, wherein the processor is configured to display the firstpredetermined facial information and the second predetermined facialinformation in a descending order of the values of the second collationresult and the third collation result.
 24. An information processingmethod comprising: acquire first feature information other than a facialregion of a target person, wherein the first feature informationcorresponds to a first image, acquire second feature informationcontaining a first facial region, wherein the second feature informationcorresponds to a second image, determine a first collation resultbetween the first feature information and the second featureinformation, determine a second collation result between a face in thefirst facial region of the second feature information and firstpredetermined facial information, determine a third collation resultbetween the face in the first facial region of the second featureinformation and second predetermined facial information, receive asetting for a display manner for display a plurality of the firstcollation results and a plurality of the second collation results,generate output information comprising the first feature information,the first collation result, the second collation result, and the thirdcollation result, according to the display manner, and display, on ascreen, the output information.
 25. A non-transitory computer readablemedium storing instructions that when executed by a processor instructthe processor to: acquire first feature information other than a facialregion of a target person, wherein the first feature informationcorresponds to a first image, acquire second feature informationcontaining a first facial region, wherein the second feature informationcorresponds to a second image, determine a first collation resultbetween the first feature information and the second featureinformation, determine a second collation result between a face in thefirst facial region of the second feature information and firstpredetermined facial information, determine a third collation resultbetween the face in the first facial region of the second featureinformation and second predetermined facial information, receive asetting for a display manner for display a plurality of the firstcollation results and a plurality of the second collation results,generate output information comprising the first feature information,the first collation result, the second collation result, and the thirdcollation result, according to the display manner, and display, on ascreen, the output information.